Oh, baby: Mona Lisa's Smirk Revealed!

While I can't claim to understand the technology, CNN is reporting that French and Canadian art experts have uncovered the reason for the Mona Lisa's half-smile"¦ apparently, she'd just given birth! According to the article, scientists used special infrared and three-dimensional technology to look through the paint layers. A careful analysis by art historians revealed that, "the Mona Lisa's dress was covered in a thin transparent gauze veil," -- something only worn by Italian women who'd just given birth. In any case, the evidence not only helps identify why Ms. Lisa was smirking about her situation, but also helps in dating the painting to around 1503. For more on the discovery, click here.

Also on Mental Floss:

DID YOU KNOW? Marlon Brando hated memorizing lines so much that he posted cue cards everywhere to help him get through scenes.
He even asked for lines to be written on an actress's posterior. (That request was denied.)